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Natural Hair | Beyond The Regimen: Wash Day

I still can’t believe we’re in the anniversary month of my natural hair journey. Man, what a difference a year makes! Don’t worry, I have a complete post with pictures, details, thoughts and more on this milestone. Y’all know I get deep when it comes to the crown so it’s only right ;). Coming up on 1 year since I began my journey got me thinking back and reflecting on those beginning stages. All the research, and blog stalking. The countless hours I spent trying to figure out the best way to go about it. Not to mention the abundance of hair products I consumed while trying to figure this whole thing out. The hardest part in the beginning was building a regimen that would work FOR ME. There are so many out there it was easy to get lost. I’m sure I not alone and I thought I’d to do a mini series on my regimen and really get into WHY I do what I do, use what I use, and the thought process behind it all.

Wash Day. Where it all begins. It’s the foundation for your hair. If you’re familiar with my regimen, you know that I alternate my washes with a shampoo wash and a co-wash. What’s the difference? Well, most shampoos contain sulfates which is what creates all the suds and gives your hair that “squeaky” clean feeling. Sulfates aren’t good for your hair and can dry it out so many naturals prefer to wash their hair with conditioner, a co-wash. My hair generally seems to appreciate a good cleanse and in the past I’ve found that, co-washes didn’t really “clean” my hair the way I liked it, so for me, the need for shampoo was still there. In an effort to “be better”, I opt for a low sulfate shampoo like Tresemme Naturals Vibrantly Smooth, which is my go to shampoo. While in the past I used to do every other wash day with shampoo, I’ve recently cut this down to once a month. That’s after finding my staple cleansing conditioner by As I Am. By using a cleansing conditioner, instead of just any regular conditioner, my hair feels clean like I like it, without feeling stripped. I can go multiple washes without the need for shampoo by using a good cleansing conditioner.

While I’d love to tell y’all I deep condition every week, I don’t. I wish I did though lol. I do make sure to deep condition after EVERY wash with shampoo. On those wash days I use a deep conditioning treatment like the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque and I’ll leave this on my hair for at least an hour or all day if I’m not doing anything. Deep condition treatments seem to refresh my curls like no other. They literally spring back to life and that’s why I wish I did it every week! Any other day I use a simple conditioner, like Tresemme Naturals Vibrantly smooth to detangle and condition my hair.

The only variation in my wash day would be the random times I do a protein treatment. I wish I could adequately explain why or when I feel the need to do this. It’s complicated…but it’s not. When dealing with your natural hair, you have to get to KNOW it. Every so often, my hair needs rejunvenating. It will feel limp, dull, and just not…good. See what I mean about complicated! When this happens I use a protein treatment like the ORS Replenishing Conditioner. This is kinda like a reset for me and it just restores the state of my hair.

That’s my wash day in a nutshell. I’m a pretty simple girl and my entire regimen is low maintenance. My hair responds better to it and it’s super easy for me to keep on track. Next week we’ll dip into my daily regimen and I’ll go into what I do to maintain my crown’s glory 😉

Let me know if you have any questions or tips. I’m always open to helping and learning more about natural hair!

Tyshia Shante

The Founder & Editor of This Brown Queen. A BROWN BEAUTY connoisseur by way of Philadelphia, lover of make up and obsessed with pretty. A Christian, mother, and wife simply chasing dreams and writing from the heart in lipstick and pumps.